USJR tossers halt FEU run, head semifinal cast

BORACAY — University of San Jose Recoletos ended FEU’s magical run in the ninth Nestea Beach Volley yesterday and kept its title-retention bid going in this famous tropical island also known as the country’s biggest party place in summer.

A 21-16 victory by the USJR pair of Joseph Alguno and Jonrey "Air" Sasing sent FEU’s Rolan Macahia and Jesse Lopez reeling and packing just a day after they scored a stunning win over the reigning men’s champions of the annual Nestea event.

Alguno and Sasing, whose great leaping ability has earned him the flashy moniker, advanced into today’s semis with a very high level of confidence. But if they are to win a second straight crown, it surely won’t come on a silver platter.

Standing in their way are three tough teams — University of Southern Philippines, Mindanao State University and St. Benilde, a team made up of MVPs in both indoor and beach volley competitions of the UAAP and the NCAA.

It will be USJR vs MSU and St. Benilde vs USP in the semis, which will be played in the morning. The finals is set in the afternoon.

"Basta kami one game at a time lang. Hindi muna naming iniisip ang USJR dahil may semis pa. Pero malakas talaga ang USJR lalo na kapag naka-set kay Sasing, 99 percent kill na," said St. Benilde’s Janley Patrona, a two-time MVP in the UAAP indoor volleyball where he used to play for La Salle.

His partner, Arnold Laniog, is the MVP in the NCAA beach volley for the last three years.

USP moved on to the semis with a 21-15 win over University of Mindanao Davao, MSU with a 21-18 decision over Adamson, and St. Benilde with a 21-7 triumph over University of Negros Occ. Recoletos.

In the women’s division, making the Final Four aside from Southwestern were University of Mindanao Tagum, USJR and University of the Visayas, last year’s losing finalist.

Southwestern’s Florian Gutierrez and Marites Natad advanced with a 21-14 win over Foundation U, UM Tagum with a 21-18 victory over UM Davao, USJR with a similar 21-18 decision over St. Benilde and dangerous UV with a 21-6 demolition of Holy Cross of Davao College.

There will be no repeat of last year’s finals in the women’s side since Southwestern and UVB will square off in the semis, leaving UM Tagum and USJR battling it out for the other finals berth.

The men’s and women’s champions will win P100,000 each and P50,000 worth of sports equipment for their respective schools. This year’s sponsors are Speedo, Mikasa, Cebu Pacific, Hey Jude Resorts, La Salle Greenhills, Villa de Oro, Coppertone, Boracay Regency, Power Plant Mall, National Sports Grill and ClicktheCity.com.

Macahia and Lopez had a lot of things going for them and looked headed to an incredible ending, considering that they finished 12th and last in last year’s Boracay phase. But they failed to repeat over USJR and got knocked out in the process.

Despite the terrible heat, a big crowd is expected to watch the closing games to be held in front of the famous Hey Jude bar and restaurant. Fun games, raffles and celebrity matches will once again spice up the action.